Harness loop or billet.



G. J. COOPER. HARNESS LOOP 0R BILLET. APPLIOATIONAIILED 1111.19, 1911.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

'IHE NOR RIS PETERS C0.. PHOTO-LITHOH WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PAIE CHARLES J. coornn, on MQLINE, inLrnorisfAssrenon orownetero 1i. w.fooornn SADDLERY nnnnwnnn MFG. COMPANY, or MOLINE,ILLINOIS, ACORPORATIQN or ILLINOIS.

'HAnnE'ss noon on BILLET. I

Specification of Letters latent. Application filed January 19, 1911.Serial No. 603,438. r v

To all whom it may concern s Be it known that LCHARLns J. (300m acitizen of the United States, residing in Moline, in the county of RockIsland, in the State of Illinois, have invented certainynew' and usefulImprovements inHarness Loops or Billets, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the general art of harness, and has referencemore particularly to a new and improved harness loop or billet which maybe used at various places in a complete harness where aleather isrequired.

Among the salient objects of the invention are, to provide a devicewhich will obviate separating strains on the stitching, to provide adevice wherein the pull on the line will be straight and substantiallyin the direction of the line itself; to provide a device in which thecooperating strap and buckle may be readily and easily assembled anddisassembled; to providea device which will possess a low substantiallyfiat effect at the buckle and without the usual bow. or hump efiectgenerally characteristic of these devices; and, in general, to provide aneat, attractive and highly serviceable harness accessory of thecharacter specified.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the novel devicehereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown one practical form-in which theinvention may be embodied, and in which- Figure 1 is a top plan viewofmy improved harness loop. Fig. 2 is a perspective elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, in central longitudinal sectionthrough the buckle; and Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the billet-strapdetached from the buckle.

Referring to the drawing, and first describing the buckle-member, thislatter comprises a substantially rectangular frame made up of theparallel sides5, rear crossbar 6, and front cross-bar 7 Where the sidebars 5 merge into the front cross-bars 7, the outer edges of said sidebars are outwardly inclined as shown at 8 in Fig. 1, thereby producing abuckleframe having an outwardly flared or widened front portion whichenables the front cross-bar 7 to be made flatter and thinner than wouldotherwise be possible, and which is also sometimes of adwhile its upperside lies slightly below the plane of the upper edges of the side bars5,

.as c'learlyshowninFig.3. The cross-bar 9 has formed thereon andcentrally thereof a rigid upstanding stud 11 of sufficient height toengage andpass through registering holes in at least two thicknesses ofthe leather strap; jsaid stud serving the function of the usual pivotedbuckle tongue to anchor the buckle frame on the line. The forwardcross-bar 10 is downwardly off-set somewhat in excess of the thicknessofthestrap or line relativelyto the rear cross-bar 9, as clearly shownin Fig.3, and constitutes, in connection with the front cross-bar 7,.v aguide or keeper for theinner end of the loop.

Referring to the billet strap, 12 designates the main line or strap,tothelower or under ,surface of which is secured, as by stitching to themain line 12 somewhat in rear of the end of thelatter, thereby gives tothe end portion of the mainline 12 the characterof a short free. tongue15 lying between the lower-and upper limbs 1 1 and 11 of the loop. Thetongue 15 and upper loop member 14: are provided with apertures 16 and17 respectively, adapted to engage the stud 11 in the mannerclearlyshown in Fig. 3.

In assembling the strap and buckle, the buckle is slid rear end foremostover the free end of the loop, the latter passing between the lowercross-bar 10 and the upper crossbars 7 and 9. The buckleis slid back onthe loop until the tongue 15 is entered between the cross-bars 6 and 9,its aperture 16 being engaged with the stud 11, and its free end beingbent down beneath the front cross-bar 7. The free end portion of theloop 14: represented by the upper limb 14. is then entered beneath thefront cross-bar 7 and above the free end of the tongue 15, and bybending the same upwardly its free end is passed beneath the rearcross-bar 6, whereupon by flattening the bowed portion the aperture 17is engaged with the stud 11. This manner indicated at 13, or otherwise,one end of the lower limb 14? of the loop member 14; the limb 1450ftheloop member being attached Patented Sept. 29,1914.

l'vantage in preventing the dra wing'of the l of assembling the buckleand straipfis the s p e a d eas e m hq bu of cou s the pa t ,may b oherwis a sembl d, a

the particular mode of assembling is wholly immaterial to the invention.El e-described, device forms a loop or billet of greatt eng very.QQlIlPtGQfiHd of nea -appears ance.

By passing both the upper and lower members ofthe loop between the upperand lower crossebars of the buckle in advance of the stitching i153orother --attaching v means is 1 reduced Ito one -halfgthe entire pullorstrain on theiline 1'12. @ne of "the greatest advanta-gee of thisbillet is: that the' -buckle can be detached or applied at will "to thestraps Without ripping out stitches, reino-ving rivets, punchingadditional holes, or;-additional stitching, and stilljhave all I of-'the desirable I qualities of the Stic'tcl1edor-rivetedgbillet.

EI claim 1. A harness loop, comp-rising, in combination, a *buCklehaving a tongue, a

dine-strap having an integral freeend portion passed through said buckleandengaged with the tonguethereof, and a loop-strap hav ng onelongitudinal {limb thereof atl opies.of this patent may-he obtained fortached at its inner end to the underside of said linestrap in rear ofsaid buckle and its other' longitudinallinib passed through said buckleand above the free endportion of said line-strap and also engaged withthe tongue of said buckle, substantially as described.

2. A harness loop, comprising, in combination, a'buckle consisting of arectangular -fra1ne having front and rear end cross-bars and twointermediate cross-bars, the rearmost of said 1nter1ned1atecross-barshaving a-rigid.,upstanding\stud'and the foremost 01" sa d-.intern1ediate cross-bars belng downwardly vofiesetz relativet0sa1dmearmost lnterin-edia-te. cross-bar a line-strap'having an integral freeend portion passed through said buckle aboveboth. ofsaid intermediatecrossbars and apertured to engage said stud, and a loopestrap having onelongltudlnal lnnb thereof attachedat its 1nner end to the underside .ofsaid line-strap in rear of said :buckle andpassed between saldintermediate cross-bars, and ltsotherlnnb passed through said bucklebeneath said end cross-bars and above'bothsaid lnterlnediate cross-barsand the free end portion ofisaid line-strap and apertured I to engagesaid stud, substantially as described.

:CHARLES J. COOPER.

Witnesses EDNA SCHMIDT, G120. W. VVoon.

five cents each, by addressing the"commissioner of Patents,"washingtonyD; C.

